US, UK And Canada Issue Sanctions Against Iran

The U.S., U.K., and Canada on Friday imposed more sanctions on Iran ahead of the one-year anniversary of the death of Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran's morality police. Her death sparked months of anti-government protests that faced an often violent crackdown.

Amini, 22, died on September 16 last year after being arrested for allegedly flouting the Islamic Republic's mandatory dress code. Her death sparked months of anti-government protests that marked the biggest show of opposition to Iranian authorities in years. Iranian security forces have been deployed in her hometown in anticipation of unrest this weekend.

The U.S., Britain, and Canada, along with the European Union, have announced multiple rounds of sanctions against Iran, citing the widespread and often violent crackdown on protests after the death of Amini.

In a separate statement, the U.S. Treasury Department said it imposed sanctions on more than two dozen people and entities it said were connected to Iran's "violent suppression" of protests in the wake of Amini's death, its crackdown on dissenting voices, and restrictions to the internet.

The action targets 29 people and groups, including 18 key members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran's Law Enforcement Forces (LEF), as well as the head of Iran's Prisons Organizations, the department said. They also target officials linked to Iran's internet blockade and several media outlets.

The sanctions target LEF spokesperson Saeed Montazerolmehdi, multiple LEF and IRGC commanders, and Iran's Prisons Organization chief Gholamali Mohammadi.

Douran Software Technologies CEO Alireza Ahmadinejad as well as state-controlled media organizations Press TV, Tasnim News Agency, and Fars News were also among those sanctioned.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that Washington would have more sanctions in the coming days.